We’re Reopening May 4! Here’s What to Expect.

We are excited to announce our reopening on May 4!

We have missed y’all so much, and we can’t wait to see you again soon.

We know this has been a difficult time for everyone, and just like you, we have been looking forward to returning to some form of normalcy.

Roadmap for Reopening Nashville

As part of a citywide reopening plan for Nashville…Opens in a new window to the Reopening Nashville Roadmap document…, Mayor John Cooper gave dental offices the green light to resume routine and elective procedures starting April 30.

Following the recommendations of the Mayor, as well as our dental colleagues at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)…Opens in a new window to the AAPD homepage…, the Tennessee Dental Association (TDA)…Opens in a new window to the TDA homepage…, and the American Dental Association (ADA)…Opens in a new window to the ADA homepage…, we will be reopening our practice for all dental procedures starting Monday, May 4, 2020.

Prepare for a new normal

Of course, things will look a little different for a while, so we want to make you aware of the changes we have made to ensure your safety.

We have missed y’all so much!

While we are thrilled to be able to see you again and help with your little one’s dental needs, safety is still our number one priority – for you, your loved ones, our families, our team, and our community.

We care about our patients and our team, like they are members of our family.

With that in mind, we have decided to start with a soft reopening with strict guidelines.

How we are keeping you and your family safe

Pre Appointment Screening

All patients will be screened over the phone prior to their appointment and upon arrival.

We’ll be checking if anyone in the household has had a fever, cough, COVID-19 related symptoms, or have been in contact with a confirmed case.

If there is any question as to possible exposure, these patients will be rescheduled for at least 14 days later.

Scheduling Changes

We are limiting the number of patients that we are scheduling and staggering appointments.

This will minimize the number of people in the office so we can do our best to comply with social distancing and to give our team time to thoroughly disinfect between patients.

Please keep this in mind when you are scheduling an appointment for your child as the availability will be more limited than normal.

Only one parent should accompany each patient and siblings should stay at home if they are not being seen to minimize the number of people in the office.

What to expect the day of your child’s appointment

Please call to let us know when you have arrived.

Instead of in the waiting room, families will be asked to stay in their cars while waiting for their appointment.

We will call you when we are ready for you to bring your child up to the office for their appointment.

Per recommendations from the CDC…Opens in a new window to CDC advisory…, we ask that parents wear a face mask/covering when in the office.

Masks are very limited at this time. We are doing our best to get enough so that our staff will be able to continue to treat patients safely.

Unfortunately, we do NOT have enough masks to provide these so please make sure to bring your own.

CDC guidelines currently do not recommend face masks/coverings for children, so feel free to use your discretion when you bring your child to their appointment.

Upon arrival at the office, we’ll be taking temperatures of parents and children, as well as requiring them to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer before entering.

Things will look different

The waiting room is closed until further notice.

If your child is receiving dental treatment, the one parent accompanying them will be allowed to stay in the waiting room. However, we encourage you to wait outside the office if you feel comfortable doing so.

We know your little ones look forward to playing with the toys and in the playhouse. In order to ease the disappointment, it might be a good idea if you prepare them ahead of time so they are aware of this change.

I encourage you to bring their iPad or their favorite toy to help keep them entertained and comfortable.

We have removed all accessory items in the office (toys, magazines, business cards, pens, etc.) that can be a potential source of contamination, especially if they are difficult to properly disinfect.

Additional safety precautions we are taking

Staff screening

All staff will have their temperature taken daily when they arrive to the office.

Staff are required to stay home if they have been in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 cases or if they have a fever, cough, or COVID symptoms.

Extra PPE (personal protective equipment)

All team members will wear a face mask at all times.

Clinical team members will wear additional PPE including an N95 mask or Level 3 mask, face shield and disposable gowns during aerosol producing procedures.

After every patient, the office will be thoroughly sanitized. High touch surfaces such as door handles will be repeatedly sanitized throughout the day as well as after every patient encounter.

All team members will practice more frequent hand washing.

Staff will receive a full day of additional training on infection control and the new guidelines on Thursday, April 30.

Please know that we are taking every precaution we possibly can, as well as following all of the most up-to-date recommendations from the CDC and OSHA to ensure the safety of our patients and our team.

We need your help!

Please carefully read over the changes outlined above and please do your part to help ensure the safety of your family and our team.

Thank you for your continued trust. We look forward to seeing y’all again soon.

Next time we see you we will have a mask on, so you might not be able to see it – but I promise we are all smiling underneath!

In the meantime, we will work on perfecting “smiling” with our eyes.

–Dr. Brittany and the GHPD Team